PROPOSALS to transform a prime Southampton brownfield site, and create more than 1,000 jobs, have taken a major step forward.

Inland Homes has submitted plans for the former Southampton town depot, now known as Chapel Riverside.

The 8.9-acre site on the River Itchen, close to the Itchen Bridge and Ocean Village, is valued at around £100 million.

Inland is applying for permission for about 400 homes, marine-based employment and improved public access to the waterfront.

The five-year construction phase from 2017-22 is expected to create 1,100 jobs, said a spokesman for Inland Homes.

Plans also include 300m of river flood defences and a new underground surface water storage tank for Southern Water.

Archaeological investigations will be made of the former Chapel of the Holy Trinity, dating from before 1217AD, as well as a medieval mill and Saxon burial ground.

The scheme is unlikely to be controversial as the planning authority, the city council, is Island’s development partner.

Island and the council signed an exclusive agreement for the redevelopment in December last year.

A public exhibition was held in June and feedback was positive, with most responses supporting the proposals. Visitors approved of the improved access to the waterfront, mix of heights and building types and the focus on bringing business to the area.

The settings of both the Cross House and American Wharf near to Chapel Riverside will be improved, which also features a new square with cafes, restaurants and shops as well as spaces for retained and enhanced marine industry and activities.

There will be a range of homes, from one-bedroom to family properties.

Mark Gilpin, planning director at Inland Homes, said: “The feedback we received from the public at our recent consultation was very encouraging.

"We are delighted to confirm that we are quickly moving forward with the scheme, despite its many technical challenges, and that it is now in for planning.”

Inland Homes’ chief executive Stephen Wicks says; “The speed with which the Inland team are progressing with the Chapel Riverside scheme just goes to show that as a company we don’t just talk, we act.

“We look forward to getting the regeneration through planning as speedily as possible so that this exciting new project can start coming out of the ground.”

Councillor Simon Letts, leader of Southampton City Council, said: “The development of brownfield sites such as the area where the council’s old town depot used to be, are key to continued economic growth in the city.

"Development of prime waterfront areas of land such as Chapel Riverside transform these sites into high-end residential sites.

Cllr Letts added: “Combining waterfront public access with a residential zone and new areas of marine linked employment on the same plot all helps to build a sense of community in a newly created part of the city.”

Upstream, Inland Homes is also developing Meridian Waterside, a scheme of 350 homes on the old Meridian TV Studios site.

Both Chapel Riverside and Meridian Waterside have been designated ‘VIP’ sites in Southampton as part of the wider Itchen Riverside project.

The 11-acre depot was earmarked for the ‘snowdome’ a 150m indoor ski slope in January 2010.

The plans were scrapped when Labour took control of the city council in 2012, saying they wanted a development that also reflected its riverside location.